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BOGGS: What does the future hold for the Courier?

By Steve Boggs, publisher of The Saline Courier

It is a privilege to serve as publisher of your local paper. The Courier has a long and rich tradition of excellence, and my goal is to maintain and add to the newspaper’s 137-year thread of reporting local news to the residents of Saline County.
I’m looking forward to getting to know people in the community and welcome any input you have. We have a solid staff with a good attitude and there is much to be done moving forward.
It’s no secret that our industry has undergone drastic change in the past 15 years. Newspapers weathered the invention of radio, the advent of television and the rise of the 100-channel cable lineup. The internet is different, however. It represents both our biggest challenge, and our biggest opportunity to date. What will the Courier look like in 10 years? How will it evolve, and how will you consume it? What role will it play in fabric of this community?
Those are not easy questions to answer, and ours is not the only newspaper grappling with such heady topics. One thing is for sure: the Courier will be here doing what it’s done for more than 100 years, reflecting a proud community.
I had the chance to work with former publisher Terri Leifeste many years ago in Oklahoma. Ada, Okla. was her first job as a publisher, and I had been editor there for 13 years when she joined the staff. I appreciated her knowledge back then, and feel honored to be following in her footsteps here in Benton. Our operating styles may be different, but we share the same commitment to community journalism.
It would be pointless to write some sort of manifesto full of promises, good intentions and grand plans for the future of this newspaper. In today’s operating climate, even the best plans can change in a day. I will however, commit to one thing: We will be local. Our commitment to filling the pages of the Courier seven days a week with local news, photos, sports and opinion (as well as advertising) will only get stronger in the coming days. We may make mistakes, but they will be local mistakes. We may misspell a word on occasion, but it will be a local word.
If local news is not our primary mission, the other staggeringly difficult questions facing the newspaper will become moot. It’s that simple to me, and as our readers, it’s that simple to you.
The Courier is the oldest continuously operated business in town. Our place in this community was earned by the hard work of hundreds who came before us, all working toward one common goal.
We are the local newspaper, and our pages must be a reflection of you, our readers.